Machine for molding building-blocks.



PATENTED SEPT. 2'7, 1904.

H. E. GOODWIN. MACHINE FOR MOLDING BUILDING BLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.23, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

Invntor 12 6204 Witnesses Attorney PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

H. E. GOODWIN. MACHINE FOR MOLDING BUILDING BLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED NOY.23,1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

I Inventor fm yamws Witnesses g Q M Attcmey UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

HARRY EDWIN GOODVVIN, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR MOLDING BUILDING-BLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,143, dated September 2:? 1904, Appli ation filed November 23, 1903. Serial No. 182,376. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY EDWIN GooDwIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Molding Building-Blocks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for molding hollow concrete building-blocks and the like.

The object of my invention is to improve and simplify the construction and operation of machines of this character, and thereby render them more eflicient and durable in use and less expensive to manufacture.

A further object of my invention is to pro- ,vide a machine which will be particularly adapted for molding the building-block shown and described in Letters Patent granted to me August 11, 1903, and numbered 7 85,87 0.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved molding-machine, the mold being in its closed position. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is avertical longitudinal section through the center of the machine, the mold being in opened position. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail top plan view of a mold, showing it provided with an adjustable end by means of which blocks of different lengths may be molded. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail perspective views of different forms of ends or heads for the mold. Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views of different forms of division-plates that are used when it is desired to make two or more blocks in the same mold.

Referring to' the drawings more particularly, the numeral 1 denotes a frame of any suitable construction for giving support and bearing to the operative parts of the machine and preferably comprising a bed-plate 2, supported by legs 3. Upon the top of said bedplate 2 is the removable bottom 4 of amold 5, in which the building-block or other object is formed. Said mold 5 also comprises two movable sides 6 and twomovable ends 7, which sides and ends are detachably and hingedly mounted upon rigid frames 8, adjustably secured upon the top of the bed-plate adjacent to the edges of its sides and ends, as shown. Said supporting-frames are disposed at an acute angle with respect to the bed-plate and are of open rectangular form, each consisting of upper and lower longitudinal bars 9, connected by end bars 10, the lower ends 11 of which latter are adjustably secured to the bedplate. This adjustment is preferably effected by screw-threadingsaid ends 11, passing them through slots 12 in the bed-plate, and securing nuts 13 upon their threaded portions below the bed-plate. Stop-shoulders 14 are provided upon said ends to engage the top of the bedplate and hold the lower longitudinal bars 9 above the top of the same. Secured upon the outer faces of each side and end and adjacent to their lower edges are curved hinge-brackets 15, the outer ends of which are slotted or bifurcated, as at 16, to hook upon the lower longitudinal bars 9 of the frames, as shown. When the sides and ends are swung up vertical to their closed position, their lower edges rest upon the upper face of the mold-bottom 4, and when they are tilted back to their open position they rest against the upper longitudinal bars 9 of said supporting; frames, as shown in Fig. 4.

The sides and ends of the mold may be of any shape or configuration necessary to form the desired block or object. As illustrated in the drawings, the sides 6 are of rectangular form with smooth or plain inner faces, and the ends 7 have two vertical V-shaped ribs 17 upon their inner faces, which ribs form similar-shaped grooves in the ends of the molded building-block. Instead of having two of said ribs, one on each side of the center, I may provide a single centrally-disposed curved rib 18, as seen in Fig. 8.

In order to hold the parts of the mold in their closed positions, the inner faces of the sides 6 have vertical grooves 19 adjacent to their ends to receive the ends 7 of the mold, and one of the sides 6 has pivotall y connected to the center of each of its ends a tie rod or brace 20. The ends of said tie-rods are passed between ears or lugs 21 upon the ends of the other side 6 and have nuts 23 upon their screw-threaded portions to securely clamp said sides 6 upon said ends 7. The center portion of each of said tie-rods is divided or bifurcated to form a loop 2 which registers with centrally-disposed and alining openings 25, formed in the ends 7 and adapted to receive a longitudinal core 26. Said core 26 passes through the mold from end to end and forms a longitudinal opening or passage through the molded buildingblock.

One or more vertically-reciprocating cores 27 may be provided within the mold for the purpose of forming vertical openings or passages in the building-block. Said cores are preferably in the form of rectangular blocks which are tapered or wedge-shaped to permit of their ready withdrawal from the molded building-block. They may be removed from the mold in any suitable manner; but I preferably employ the mechanism illustrated in the drawings for moving them vertically up out of the mold. Said mechanism comprises a vertically-reciprocating rod28 for each of the cores 27. Each of said rods consists of an upper portion 29, polygonal in cross-section, and a lower reduced portion 30, which is guided in a bracket 31, secured upon the bottomof the bed-plate. The upper portions 29 of said rods are guided in brackets 32, secured to the bottom of the bed-plate, and project through registering openings 33 and 34, formed, respectively, in the bed-plate and the removable bottom of the mold. The upper ends of said portions 29 of the rods project into polygonalshaped openings 35 in the center of the bottoms of the cores 27. It will be seen that when the rods 28 are elevated they will raise the cores out of the mold, and the cores may then be readily removed'from their upper ends.

Any suitable means may be provided for reciprocating the rods 28. When two or more cores are used, their rods are all connected to a cross-beam 36, so that they will be operated simultaneously. Said cross-beam is preferably operated by a foot-lever 37, secured upon a longitudinal shaft 88, journaled in the frame of the machine, and provided with an arm 39, which is pivotally connected to the crossbeam 36 by a connecting-rod 40. hen said arm 39 is rocked by means of the foot-lever, the cores 27 will be reciprocated vertically.

Building-blocks of various lengths may be formed in the machine by providing the mold with an adjustable end 41, as shown in Fig. 6. Said adjustable end 41 slides longitudinally between the sides 6, which are clamped together, as previously described, to hold said end in its adjusted position.

Two or more blocks may be formed in the mold simultaneously by means of the division-plates &2. (Shown in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings.) These plates are disposed vertically between the sides 6 of the mold, being held in position by the clamping action of said sides. The opposite sides or faces of the division-plates are shaped similar to the inner faces of the ends 7 of the mold.

The operation of my machine will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following statement: hen it is desired to mold a building-block, the bottom plate of the mold is placed upon the bedplate of the machine and the sides and ends of the mold then placed in position and secured together, as previously described. The cores 27 are then placed in the mold upon the upper ends of their operating-rods and the core 26 is inserted through the opening in the ends of the mold and the cores 27. The concrete, cement, or other plastic composition from which the building-block is made is packed in the mold around the cores, and the top is smoothed off. The core 26 is then withdrawn and the foot-lever depressed to elevate the rods, which will force the cores 27 upwardly out of the molded block to permit them to be removed from said rods. The tierods, which clamp the sides of the mold, are then released, and the sides and ends of the mold are swung away from the molded block against their supporting-frames, as seenin Fig. 4.. The bottom of the mold, upon which the newly-formed block rests, may then be taken from the bed-plate of the machine, and a new bottom may be substituted and the operation repeated to form another block.

It will be understood that the molds maybe of any desired shape and proportions. Instead of forming rectangular blocks curved blocks-such as are used in making bay-windows, &c. or right-angular blocks for cornerwork may be formed by providing the ma chine with the proper-shaped molds.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a bed-plate having slots, angularly-disposed supporting-frames ad justably secured in the slots of said bed-plate, and movable sides and ends detachably mounted upon said frames and adapted to be supported thereby, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the bed-plate, of a rebed-plate, a mold upon said bed-plate having a removable bottom and movable sides and ends, a core-operating rod projecting through said bed-plate and said bottom, a removable core upon said rod, and means for reciprocating said rod, substantially as described.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a suitable frame having a bed-plate, a mold upon said bed-plate having a removable bottom and movable sides and ends, core-operating rods guided vertically through said bed-plate and the bottom of said mold, removable cores upon said rods, a crossbeam connecting said rods, and means for operating said cross-beam to reciprocate said cores, substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a suitable frame having a bed-plate, a mold upon said bed-plate, coreoperating rods projecting through said bedplate and into said mold, removable cores upon said rods Within said mold, guides for said rods secured to said bed-plate, a crossbeam connecting said rods, a shaft journaled in said frame and provided with a rocker-arm and an operating-lever, and a connection between said rocker-arm and said cross-beam, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HAR Y EDWIN GOODWIN.

Witnesses:

E. E. SWIGERT, J. O. SWIGERT. 

